The logs are large, soft, wool-filled tubes.
Clokey describes them as massive draft excluders.
“There’s a woven wool textile on the outside. with fleece packed on the inside. And in the core there’s a solid wool rope just to sort of keep the structure to stop it sagging down when we put it in place.
“They’re not too heavy, but they were tricky enough to get up the hill.”
At one-and-a-half stone (9-10kg) each, they still weigh less than the seven stone (45kg) coir logs they have replaced.
In all, almost 60 of the logs were placed on Slievenanee in the Antrim Hills on a wintry day in February, with the help of local farmers and landowners.
Devenney is “hopping” with excitement about the work.
“This area is designated for particular raptors such as the hen harrier and merlin birds of prey.
“Other peatland species that we are striving to protect – they’re all endangered, they’re all under significant threat – are curlews, your breeding waders, your priority butterflies, like your large heath and your green hairstreak, marsh fritillary butterflies, even down to the common lizard that you’ll find across the mountain here.
“So yes, peatlands are really unique habitats and they’re really special to the island of Ireland.”
The logs are now being monitored to assess their effectiveness in restoring the peatland.
